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Ukraine becomes ‘another divisive issue’ in ASEAN
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Desperation: Ukrainians try to board a train in Kyiv to flee encroaching Russian forces. (AFP/Genya Savilov) (AFP/Genya Savilov)
S
tark differences among ASEAN member states in their responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have resulted in a more muted regional response to the war.
In the approximately two weeks since the invasion,, the group has issued two statements calling for an immediate ceasefire and the continuation of political dialogue. But ASEAN is widely criticized for not having openly named Russia as the aggressor, only calling on “all parties” to respect “sovereignty, territorial integrity and equal rights of all nations”.
Former Indonesian attorney general Marzuki Darusman, who once chaired the United Nations-appointed Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar, said ASEAN’s statements were “quite minimalist in terms of their content”.
“We have been down-sliding in the past 50 years. It borders on irresponsibility. ASEAN hasn't played a role commensurate with its importance in global affairs,” he said in a recent webinar organized by Synergy Policies, a Jakarta-based consulting firm focusing on geopolitics, for which Marzuki is an advisor.
“Why is that? Because ASEAN has been in the process of being busy with themselves. We have become introverted because of national development issues, and therefore, our sensitivity and responsiveness to international affairs has been blunted.”
Read also: ASEAN foreign ministers call for dialogue in Ukraine crisis
